Caramelized Apples in Puff Pastry Shell

Caramelized Apples Flambéd with Cognac, 

 In a Puff Pastry Shell with Crème Fraîche

This is a great dessert for those of us who are not advanced bakers.

Pepperidge Farm even tells us which side of the pastry is up. haha

Bake the Puff Pastry shells at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Use a fork to remove the T O P.

Melt butter and brown sugar, cook the apples until soft. 
Add a pinch of salt.

This is also a great dessert for those of us who like to light our food on fire.

Add Cognac (or Calvados) to the pan to flambé. 

For tips on flambéing, go here. 

 Ladle the warm apples and sauce into the shells and finish with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Six Ingredients, Fancy Dessert:

• apples
  
• brown sugar
  
• butter
  
• puff pastry shells
  
• cognac or calvados
  
• crème fraîche
  

Spaghetti, Roasted Eggplant Cream Sauce

I vacillated over posting this recipe. It is not elegant. But I keep craving it. It is smokey, eggplanty, creamy, lemony, tangy, garlicky, unique...

Peter of Kalofagas and Marie of Proud Italian Cook this month both posted some awesome eggplant recipes. Fresh eggplant. Ooh eggplant, yes!

And you may recall I have a wonderful Croatian butcher, he carries some interesting side products, one of them is Roasted Eggplant in a jar from Bulgaria. On a recent visit to the butcher shop, a jar came home with me.

I heated olive oil in a sauce pan, added lots of shaved garlic and red pepper flakes and cooked until fragrant. Then add the drained-and-chopped roasted eggplant.

Finished the sauce with a hearty scoop of creme fraiche, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, lots of chopped parsley, salt and pepper then tossed it with spaghetti. (Topping it with Parmesan cheese would be a good idea, too).

OK, there it is. It might be even better with fresh roasted eggplant. That is why I hesitated with this post. But then I thought, no, this eggplant-in-a-jar recipe really is that good.

Aubergine Lovers: I would love to hear what you think...

Memorial Day

New to my garden this year, with petals the color of a warm Texas sunset, is the Laura Bush Floribunda Rose. Generous clusters of dusky orange buds burst open into ruffled, cinnamon-orange blooms with yellow centers.

Jackson & Perkins Nursery representatives worked closely with Mrs. Bush to designate this beautiful rose the Laura Bush Rose. The rose is launched as part of the First Ladies Rose Series and it joins roses named for First Ladies: The apricot colored Nancy Reagan, the coral-pink-and-ivory Barbara Bush and the recently debuted, coral and orange Lady Bird Johnson.

I would like to take a moment to commemorate the U.S. men and women who have died in military service and to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Heart Healthy Salmon & Scallop, Two Ways

Grilled Salmon and Scallop, Lemon Orange Basil Sauce

Steamed Asparagus

Brown Rice, Dill Tofu Sauce

Steamed Salmon & Scallop 

Roasted Red Pepper Eggplant Coulis

Brown Rice, Asparagus Spears with Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette

In addition to Wild Salmon, Cannellini Bean Basil Broth here are two more Heart Healthy dishes.

The first photograph may look rich, however the sauce on the fish is fresh lemon and orange juices whisked with some extra virgin olive oil and fresh chiffonade of basil. The creamy brown rice sauce is made from tofu blended with fresh dill, Bragg Liquid Aminos, tamari, and spices. This is a delicious savory sauce - great on rice, vegetables, chicken or fish. I'm happy to provide a detailed recipe upon request.

In the second photo the fish is cooked in a Bamboo Steamer Basket, served with a coulis made from roasted red pepper, eggplant, chile and spices. The cholesterol lowering brown rice molded in the center is topped with the folate-rich asparagus spears that were dipped in the dijon vinaigrette. 

If you are imbibing red wine for your heart, try pairing a fruity Pinot Noir with the steamed dish and perhaps a Zinfandel with the grilled one.

Heart Health Benefits of Scallops:

Scallops are good source of a very important nutrient for cardiovascular health, vitamin B12, and of omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and potassium.

Heart Health Benefits of Soy Protein:

Tofu is a very good source of soy protein. Research on soy protein in recent years has shown that regular intake of soy protein can help to lower total cholesterol levels. From The World's Healthiest Foods website.

To Your Health!

Wild Salmon, Cannellini Bean Basil Broth

Heart Healthy Wild Salmon, Cannellini Bean Basil Broth

I having been preparing and photographing some heart healthy dishes. This one is a flavorful low-fat/low-sodium chicken broth with cannellini beans, minced garlic sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, with rough chopped fresh basil. This earthy soup is topped with crispy-skin fresh wild salmon rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Health Benefits of Cannellini Beans

These beans are low-fat, high in fiber and provide a high quality of magnesium, fiber, iron and folate. They help cut cholesterol. The beans fiber binds to fat to help flush it from the body. It's also loaded with folate which helps lower levels of homocysteine, which clogs arteries. From Today's Women & Health.

I am submitting this photo to the CLICK theme-based monthly food photography event for this month, which features any and all kinds of beans 'n lentils.

Artichoke & Cambozola Quiche

If Camembert and Gorgonzola are among your faves you will love this Cheese Marriage Made in Heaven.

Cambozola is a German triple cream cow's milk cheese reminiscent of French Camembert inoculated with the same blue mold used to make Italian Gorgonzola.

For the Quiche: The pie crust is pressed into the Le Creuset pan. Most of the rind is removed from the cheese and it is roughly sliced.

Frozen artichoke hearts are cooked, drained, cooled, and seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Place artichokes atop the cheese. Add the custard. Go here for my basic quiche custard recipe. Bake at 350 for about an hour maybe 1 and 1/4 hour.

The cheese melts thoughout the quiche, so the flavor is in every bite just like the Brie, Toasted Almond & Herb Quiche.

Didn't get enough of that delicious Cambozola? Try a green salad, tossed with walnuts, baby heirloom tomatoes, and roasted walnut vinaigrette with warm Cambozola on toasted multi-grain baguette.

Afternoon Tea

I attended an absolutely lovely event co-hosted by the 7th Grade Girls and Mothers to honor the graduating 8th Grade Girls at Rolling Hills Country Day School in Palos Verdes, California.

This annual event, which has been taking place for decades, is held at the home of one of our families at Country Day School. This time it was at a beautiful home on the bluff overlooking the Pacific.

The 7th grade girls passed tea sandwiches, little cakes and tarts, and served tea and punch to all the attendees.

In addition, the 7th Grade Girls performed a delightful song for the 8th Graders by Rascal Flatts called "My Wish."

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

Please, have a listen to this uplifting song while you read the remainder of the post...

The girls were darling, as always, and as the 7th grade girls did the serving, the 8th grade girls performed the role of gracious hostesses practicing their conversation skills with the adults. As you can imagine, I also have some adorable photos of the girls which I look forward to sharing with their parents.

Mini Scones were served with Devonshire Cream and Lemon Curd.

Early on, it was a little overcast with the temperature in the mid 60's. The sun came out towards the end of the event. The view was breathtaking.

I am sending this photograph "Centerpiece Overlooking the Pacific at Afternoon Tea" to Sandi at Whistlestop Cafe Cooking for her Centerpiece of the Month (COTM) event, an event which I have been meaning to participate in for forever. 

And apropos of my Afternoon Tea post, today is the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day. Originally Mother's Day was marked by the wearing of a single white carnation. Mom may get a big bouquet now, but the sentiment remains the same.

Happy Mother's Day!

 

P.S. I love you, Ma.

May 14: Carol at Paris Breakfasts has linked Afternoon Tea in her "Tiny Teapots" post. If you haven't already, please visit Carol and check out her fabulous watercolor paintings (of which I have 5 hanging in my home).